Alert archive / Delaware / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Wilmington, NC

June 15, 1989Kent County, New Castle County, Delaware

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 15, 1989, 8:11 PM EDT for Kent County, New Castle County, Delaware. It was in force for 64 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 15, 1989, 8:11 PM EDT (00:11 UTC)
Expired
Jun 15, 1989, 9:15 PM EDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, NC
Area
Whole counties

Counties Kent County, DE, New Castle County, DE

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 15, 8:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 57Kent, DE

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Atlantic City In, NJ (KACY), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 93 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Atlantic City In, NJ at 00:00Z on 1989-06-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1156 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Atlantic City In, NJ at 00:00Z on 1989-06-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 172 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1156 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1008 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
172 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
239 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KILG 160013 RRA
SVRILG
DEC001-003-160115-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON DE
811 PM EDT THU JUN 15 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL DELAWARE
          ...KENT
IN NORTH DELAWARE
          ...NEW CASTLE
 
WEATHER RADAR SHOWS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ON THE MARYLAND EASTERN
SHORE WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF DOVER. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING
RAPIDLY EAST AND WILL BE IN DELAWARE...LOWER NEW CASTLE AND UPPER
KENT COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT QUARTER HOUR.  THE THUNDERSTORM
WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 15, 5:04 PM EDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
501 PM EDT THU JUN 15 1989

 TIME        EVENT
1700 EDT     JUST NORTHEAST OF AUTRYVILLE NORTH CAROLINA IN NORTHERN
             SAMPSON COUNTY...MARBLE SIZE HAIL
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 5:11 PM EDT, 3 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
505 PM EDT THU JUN 15 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL
AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 8 PM  AND  ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 11 PM...

AT 500 PM THERE WERE SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN
SECTION OF SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. THESE STORMS WERE IN SOUTHEAST
CUMBERLAND AND NORTHERN SAMPSON COUNTY. MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED
WITH ONE OF THESE STORMS AS IT PASSED TO THE NORTH OF AUTRYVILLE IN NORTHERN
SAMPSON COUNTY.  PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS CAN EXPECT STRONG
GUSTY WINDS..VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY HAIL AGAIN.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 5:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
545 PM EDT THU JUN 15 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL
AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 8 PM  AND  ANOTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA UNTIL 11 PM...

AT 525 PM THERE WERE SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE
NORTH MIDLANDS SECTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND OVER THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
COASTAL PLAIN SECTION OF SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE
CENTERED IN WAYNE..SOUTHERN JOHNSTON..AND NORTHERN SAMPSON COUNTY
NORTH CAROLINA AND IN MARLBORO COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA. THESE STORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

PERSONS IN NORTHERN SAMPSON COUNTY CAN EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS..VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND POSSIBLY HAIL UNTIL 7 PM.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE
FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS..WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS..IN AND CLOSE
TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT
FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Local storm report, Jun 15, 7:34 PM EDT, 37 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CAPE HATTERAS NC
0730 PM EDT THU JUN 15 1989

 TIME            EVENT
0725 PM EDT      1 INCH HAIL AND MARBLE SIZE HAIL.  WINDS IN
                 EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
                 IN THE TOWN OF MURFREESBORO.  REPORTED BY THE
                 MURFREESBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT.

LEIN

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Delaware, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.